Related Information
Education
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University of Kentucky College of Law
J.D. 2003
Kentucky Law Journal, Managing Editor 2002-03; Stoll, Keenon & Park Scholarship for Outstanding Service to the Kentucky Law Journal, 2002
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Davidson College
B.A. 2000
English
Oxford University, Lincoln College, Classics, Fall 1998, European Studies Program, Rhodes College and University of the South
Admissions
Kentucky
U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky
Service Areas
- Alternative Dispute Resolution
- Appellate Advocacy
- Business Litigation
- Civil Litigation
- Class Action, Mass Action & Multi-District Litigation
- Commercial Disputes - Contracts and Business Torts
- Complex / Large Litigation
- Pretrial Practice & eDiscovery
- Pharmaceuticals, Medical Devices, and Healthcare Litigation
- Multi-State, Multi-District and Serial Litigation
- Product Liability
- Professional Liability (Non-Medical Professionals)
- Trial Practice
- Torts & Insurance Practice
Industry Experience
- Arbitration / Mediation / Dispute Resolution
- Chemical & Allied Products / Plastics
- Construction
- Consumer Products / Food / Beverage
- Industrial / Manufacturing Facilities
- Pharmaceutical / Medical Devices
- Restaurants / Food Services
Memberships
- American Bar Association, Products Liability Committee; Women in Products Liability subcommittee, co-chair
- Kentucky Bar Association
- Louisville Bar Association
- Defense Research Institute (DRI)
- Kentucky Defense Counsel
Community Involvement
- Louisville Visual Arts Association, Board of Directors
- Dress for Success Louisville, Advisory Council (former Board of Directors)
- Davidson College Young Alumni Leadership Team, Class Chair
- Louisville Legal Aid Society, volunteer
- Center for Women and Families, volunteer
- YWC of Louisville
Whitney Frazier Watt has a wide-ranging practice including but is not limited to product liability cases, contract disputes, toxic tort cases, professional negligence cases, tortious interference, mass actions, and trucking litigation.
Recent Assignments
- Defend litigation against a prominent consumer products manufacturer
- Coordinates defense of litigation against a major manufacturer of respiratory protection products, managing over 200 cases
- Defend litigation against a supplier of chemicals and ingredients used in flavors, fragrances, food, and beverages
- Defend litigation against a prominent medical device manufacturer involving claims in multiple states
- Defend trucking litigation, including scene investigation, against a large professional services provider
- Served as second chair during two trials, a product liability case and a medical malpractice case, which both resulted in favorable verdicts for our clients
- Secured several voluntary dismissals for a major manufacturer of water valves in product liability cases filed in Kentucky, Georgia, Virginia and Indiana
Recent Speaking Engagements and Publications
- Co-chair, American Bar Association Women in Products Liability CLE, Boston, Mass., November 2012
- "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Products Liability Year in Review," ABA Joint Products Liability, Mass Torts, & Environmental CLE, Hollywood, Fla., Jan. 2012
- Moderator, "Ethical Considerations for Using Technology in Your Practice," ABA Women in Products Liability CLE, New York, NY, November 2010
- Moderator, "Avoiding Discovery Pitfalls - How to Manage Your Document Productions and Reviews in a Way that Will Satisfy Your Client and Win Your Case," ABA Joint Products Liability, Mass Torts & Environmental CLE, Beaver Creek, Colo., January 2010
- Co-author, Kentucky section ABA 50-State Survey on Statute of Limitations in Drug & Medical Device Products Liability Actions, 2012
- Co-author, "Products Liability 2011: Year in Review," ABA Joint Products Liability, Mass Torts, and Environmental CLE Materials, January 2012
- Co-author, "Chapter 2: Preparation for Trial & Organization of Trial Materials," Kentucky Civil Practice at Trial, 3d, UK/CLE, 2008
- "Litigating in the Face of E-Discovery Rules: Post-Implementation Perspectives and Practice Tips," Moderator, ABA Women in Products Liability CLE, New Orleans, La., October 2007
- "Removing to Federal Court?," Litigation Leader, v. 1, no. 1, March 2005
- "The Constitutionality of Detainment in the Wake of September 11th," 90 Kentucky Law Journal 1089 (2002)
Before Stites & Harbison
Ms. Watt was Managing Editor of the Kentucky Law Journal at the University of Kentucky College of Law. While in law school she served as an intern for the Honorable Joseph M. Hood, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky.
More than Stites & Harbison
Whitney is the co-chair of the American Bar Association's Women in Products Liability subcommittee. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Louisville Visual Arts Association, the Advisory Council for Dress for Success Louisville, an organization helping low-income women transition back into the workforce, on the firm's Recruiting Committee, and as a Class Chair for the Davidson College Young Alumni Leadership Team. Whitney is a volunteer attorney for the Louisville Legal Aid Society and the Center for Women and Families. She was honored as Dress for Success Louisville's Board Member of the Year (2008) and as a 2009 Superwoman for Supergirls, Inc., a mentoring program for high school girls.
Besides Stites & Harbison
Whitney enjoys traveling, volunteering with various community organizations, and spending time with family and friends.